I Thought She Knew
by OneHalf1017
Summary: Spencer's a senior in High School. Ashley's a barista at a local coffee shop. The two girls have an undeniable connection but the odds seem to be stacked against them.
1. Jitters

One small toffee nut latte with extra caramel is the last order I take before placing the 'closed' sign on the bar. I reach over for an empty cup and pour out a tablespoon of toffee nut syrup into it. Once the espresso is ready and the milk is steamed I pour them both into the cup and add the extra caramel. I hand the waiting girl her drink and she takes it with a wide smile.

"You're the best, Ashley. Thanks." She yells over her shoulder before leaving the shop.

"You're welcome, Jess." I call out as the door closes behind her.

This is one of the better parts of my job, making great drinks for people. Jitters is one of the most popular coffee shops in L.A. Starbucks who? Yeah, our coffee is that good. The staff is pretty small and even though I only started working here a little over a year ago they make me feel like family. It's not that I need to work; I took the job at Jitters more so to keep me busy. If you ask my mother, she'd say it didn't work. I'm from noon to 8pm every weekday and still find plenty of time to get myself into trouble.

"She's right, you know. You're the best barista I've ever hired." Mary says coming out of her office. She's the owner. "Your regulars are in love, and all the walk-ins ask for you by name. You're like a coffee connoisseur, Ashley."

"What about me? I work here too!" Tommy mocks offense.

"Sorry, Tommy. I just meant that Ashley's been here longer, and well…" Mary attempts an apology thinking she might of hurt the poor boys feelings.

"Its cool, I get it. Besides, all of my customers prefer Ashley anyways." He grins. "But now that we're finished praising Ashley's barista skills, is it ok if we start closing up?"

"I was going to ask if you two would be ok with locking up by yourselves tonight. I have a date. You guys don't need me here right?" It's a rhetorical question. As the owner she can do whatever she wants.

"We'll be fine." "Have fun on your date." Tommy and I respond.

"Great. See you guys later." Mary says before grabbing her things from her office and dashing for the door. Must be a pretty hot date.

"You finish cleaning up back here, I'll start cleaning the front." I say to Tommy, coming out from behind the bar.

I hate working the closing shift. It's even worse when you're the one locking up, and even worse when it's on a Friday. The whole process just seems to take forever. I'm wiping down tables and stacking chairs. Tommy turns on some music so we don't have to clean in silence.

_Hello, I love you _

_Won't you tell me your name? _

_Hello, I love you _

_Let me jump in your game_

I sing along to the song, glad to hear anything but the coffee shop's playlist. It's an hour after closing time but for a Friday night it's still early. After I leave here I should call around, see what's going on tonight. Lucky for me I don't work weekends.

"Well uh… I don't know… We're kind of closed." I hear Tommy stumbling over his words.

I walk closer to the door to see what's going on. Two girls have come in and they look like they're in desperate need of some caffeine. Customers always try to come in while we're closing up, and I always say no. If I let one person in, I have to do it for the next, and the next, and then we'll never close.

"Its cool, Tommy. I'll make their drinks." I say returning to my usual position at the bar. I'm in a good mood tonight.

Tommy shrugs and takes a seat next to the girls.

"I'm Tommy." He introduces himself to the girl next to him.

"Chelsea." She smiles politely.

No wonder he couldn't speak before, he gets all tongue-tied around girls.

"What can I get you two ladies?" I ask.

"I'll have a large caramel macchiato." Chelsea orders.

"And I'll have a medium coffee with two shots of espresso." The blonde adds.

'Two shots of espresso?" I repeat, making sure I heard her correctly.

"Yes, please."

"What the hell are you trying to do jump start your heart?" I joke giving her a smile so she'll know I'm just teasing. Unfortunately she doesn't find it funny but Chelsea and Tommy are cracking up.

I grab two empty cups and start working on the drinks.

"I need to stay awake so I can finish studying. Normally I make my own coffee but the machine is broken." She explains flatly.

"Pulling an all-nighter on a Friday?"

"SATs are tomorrow." The blonde answers. I never understood why they would schedule tests on a Saturday.

"I practically had to beg her to take a break." Chelsea sighed.

"You've been studying all day?" I ask. I'm taking longer than usual to make their drinks. Something about the reserved blonde makes me want to know more.

"All day? Try all year." She laughs lightly.

"That sounds intense." I place a lid on her coffee. "Drink responsibly." I smile and give the blonde her highly caffeinated drink. I add the finishing touches to the caramel macchiato and hand it to the smiley and more relaxed friend. "Here you go, Chelsea."

"You know, Ashley here is the best barista in L.A." Tommy brags.

"Oh, is that true?" The blonde fakes enthusiasm and I laugh. That was kind of funny.

"Well try your drinks and find out." I challenge.

I watch her take a long sip of the strong coffee. I'm not usually attracted to the blond hair blue eyed look but it definitely works for her.

"Wow, this is really good." She takes another sip. "What do I owe you?" She asks pulling out her wallet.

"Your name." I say smoothly laying on the Davies charm.

"What?" Her cheeks are red and she looks flattered but slightly confused.

"Your name." Chelsea says nudging her friend in the shoulder encouragingly. "She wants to know your name."

"Spencer." The blonde says with a smile, and it must be contagious because now I'm smiling too.

Her blues eyes hold my attention for a little too long and Tommy clears his throat. "Ahem." He does it once more and I break the staring contest with Spencer.

_She's walking down the street _

_Blind to every eye she meets _

_Do you think you'll be the guy _

_To make the queen of the angels sigh?_

"Oh, I love this song." Chelsea exclaims.

"Me too!" Tommy agreed.

They fall into conversation, completely oblivious to the fact that Spencer and I are still here. I don't say anything for a while and just study the blonde. She's stressed out, that much is obvious but there's also sadness in her eyes.

"Boy problems?" I try to strike up a conversation.

"How'd you know?" She gives me a shy smile.

"Just a wild guess. You want to talk about it?" Spencer plays with the lid on her coffee for a while before nodding a yes. I walk out from behind the bar and take the seat next to her.

She shifts on the barstool to face me and it looks like she's finally going to give me more than a quick sentence.

"His names Patrick, he's a church friend of my family's. I broke up with him last week but it's like he doesn't get it, he's always texting and calling. My mother won't let up about the whole thing, she thinks I'm making a mistake. They're both making me feel really guilty." She admits.

"That's rough. Why did you break it off with him?" I ask, surprised that she opened up as much as she did.

"I never really liked him, I only agreed to date him because I knew it would please my mother. Last week was the last straw I was tired of being unhappy, tired of pretending to be interested in him. I couldn't do it anymore. It was driving me crazy."

"And he was complete asshole." Chelsea adds.

"Yeah, that too." Spencer laughs.

"The first step in being happy is stop trying to make everyone else happy." I say from experience. I spent too long trying to make the people around me happy while I was miserable.

"I'm not even sure I know what makes me happy." She finishes off her coffee. "It was nice meeting you, Ashley. But Chelsea and I still have a lot of studying to do so we should probably get going."

"So soon?" Chelsea asks disappointed.

"They have to close up eventually, Chelsea." Spencer says.

"Come on. We'll walk you two to the door." Tommy suggests.

We all get up and walk the few steps from the bar to the door.

"When did it start raining?" Chelsea asks.

I take my eyes off Spencer long enough to see that its pouring outside.

"Wait a sec, maybe I can find some umbrellas." Tommy says before walking off.

"I can drive the two of you home, if you'd be open to that." I offer.

"I don't know, I mean we just met you…" Spencer starts to protest before Chelsea cuts her off.

"Oh come on, Spencer. She's not an axe murderer." Chelsea points out.

"She's right, Spencer. I'm only an axe murderer on Sunday and Monday. Todays Friday so you're safe." I joke and to my surprise the blonde laughs. Look at that, she's loosing up.

"Ok, ok. I guess it would be nice if you drove us back to my place so we wouldn't have to walk in the rain." Spencer smiles at me.

"Found the umbrellas." Tommy comes back.

"Actually I'm just going to drive them home, you want to come?" I know he wouldn't mind spending a little more time with Chelsea and I definitely want to spend more time with Spencer.

"Sounds good. I'll get our jackets." Tommy runs off to get our jackets from the back room.

When Tommy comes back I've already eighty-sixed the apron I'm required to wear for work. I take my hair out of the ponytail its in and shake it out a bit before sliding on my leather jacket. I glance over at Spencer and she's watching me intently. "Ready to go?" I ask the girls.

"Yeah." "Sure" are the responses, and I hold open the door to let them out first.

We walk up the short block to where my car is parked and I press the unlocking button on my key ring.

"Something wrong?" I'm holding open the passenger door for Spencer but it looks like she's having second thoughts. I hope not.

"No, I just… Where'd you get this car? I mean you can't be much older than me. Did your parents buy it?" She slides in.

When everyone's in the car I press the push to start button and the engine comes to life. "I'm 19. The car was a present for my 16th birthday. Put on your seatbelt." I give her a sultry smile and her cheeks turn a light pink color.

Spencer directs me to a small house in a pretty quiet area. It wasn't a long drive, maybe ten minutes or so. The whole time we talked about her future at UCLA and all the other goals she had in place for herself. I have to admit her ambition was kind of a turn on.

Tommy and Chelsea are standing next to the car talking. It looks like they hit it off really well. I hope he remembers to get her number.

"Is it weird that I don't want to leave?" She blushes at her admission. "You're just so easy to talk to." She explains.

I'm grinning like a fool on the inside but I don't let on. The truth is I don't want her to leave either. There's something refreshing about Spencer that I like.

"You can always come by for coffee sometime. I'm usually there during the week." I tell her.

"So then I guess I'll see you during the week. Thanks again for the ride… and for listening." Spencer unfastens her seatbelt.

"Anytime." I say before she steps out and Tommy takes her place in passenger seat.

**So here is the first chapter of a new story I've been thinking about continuing. What do you think? Should I continue it? Feedback is always welcome.**

**I do have two other stories in progress and both of them will be completed soon now that its summer and i have more time on my hands.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Songs Used: Hello I Love You - The Doors**


	2. A Crucial Test

It was early morning when my phone rang, the first few times I ignored it but the calls were persistent. I open my eyes just enough to see the time on my alarm clock, 5am. Who the hell calls at this hour? I groan at the sound of my phone ringing once again. Using one arm I try to pull the phone off its charger but only manage to knock it off the nightstand. Fuck.

"Ashley, turn it off." Carmen rolls onto her side freeing my other arm and I climb out of bed.

While I'm up I take a few seconds to scan my studio apartment. Even in the darkness I can see Aiden and Madison snuggled up, and few feet away I see Tommy is out cold. Bringing me back to my question of, who the hell is calling? All of my friends are here. I feel around the carpet for my phone and it takes a while but I find it. Not wanting to wake anyone up I decide to take the call in the bathroom. As if on cue my phone rings again as soon as I shut the door.

"Hello."

"Ashley! Finally you pick up." The voice is familiar but I have to be sure. It was a night to remember last night and who knows what kind of tricks my mind is playing this morning.

"Kyla?"

"Has it been that long?" She asks sarcastically. "Yeah its your long lost sister, and guess what? I need a favor."

"Which is?" It's too early for the back and forth. I'd rather get straight to the point.

"I need a ride to my SAT testing center." It's obvious from her tone that she would rather drown than ask me for help. Kyla wouldn't call if she had any other options for a ride, and I guess this SAT thing really is important.

"What time do you need to be there?"

"7 o'clock. I'll be waiting in front the house. You remember how to get here right?" There goes that sarcasm again.

"See you in a few." I hang up.

Opening the door I see Carmen standing in front of me. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the least bit creepy. Since when does she listen in on my phone calls?

"Who was it?" She asks, but I don't have much time to waste so I walk around her and start looking through my dresser. "You going somewhere?" She follows me around while I pick out an outfit.

"Kyla needs a ride." My answer is short and maybe even snippy but Carmen knows I hate being questioned.

"That girl hasn't talked to you in months."

"That girl is my sister, Carmen. I'll be back in a few hours." This could be my chance to catch up with Kyla, and see how she's been. I'm not letting Carmen talk me out of it.

"Ashley, baby." Carmen tries to regain my attention but I'm walking back to the bathroom. She reaches out and grabs my hand. "That girl… I mean … your sister she's a spoiled brat. Let someone else give her a lift." I wiggle my hand loose and close the bathroom door behind me. I don't expect Carmen to understand, she doesn't have any family left.

When I'm finish with my shower I quickly pull on the clothes I picked out and grab my sunglasses off my nightstand. Carmen's fallen back asleep and I make sure to leave without making too much noise.

The house is just as I remember it, large and unkempt. Since my mother is rarely home she doesn't care about what the house looks like. I don't want to take any chances of running into Christine, so I honk my horn a few times and Kyla strolls out.

"Hey." I say awkwardly as she climbs into the passenger seat. I haven't talked to her in so long it feels kind of weird striking up a conversation now. "How have you been? You don't call anymore." There's no response, she just stares at me blankly.

When I decided to move out of my mother's house and into my apartment Kyla begged me to take her with me, but I didn't. As bad as Christine is, I thought Kyla would be better off with our mother than with me. The first few months Kyla and I talked all the time, I even drove her to school on some days but eventually the calls stopped and whenever I reached out to contact her it was like she had closed herself off to me.

"Why couldn't mom drive you?" I try again to get my sister to talk.

"She left last night with Josh or Jose or whatever his name is." Kyla let out a sigh of frustration that was all too familiar. I would feel the same way when Christine would disappear for weeks with her boy toys.

"If you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"No talking, Ashley. Just driving." Kyla finds a radio station she likes and turns the volume up to an ignorant level.

… _**Spencer's POV **_…

"Thanks for the ride, dad." I say wrapping my arms around him for a hug. If anyone knows how important today is, he does. I need to score at least a 2100 on my SAT.

He pulls me tighter into the hug and kisses the top of my head. "You've been studying all year, Spencer. You'll do fine." He reassures me. "You too Chelsea, you're a very intelligent girl. There's nothing for you two to be worried about." He says before parking just outside the testing center.

"See you at home." "Bye Mr. C" Chelsea and I get out of the car and say our goodbyes.

"Your dad is right, Spencer. We're going to do great and this time next year you'll be at UCLA and I'll be studying in Paris." Chelsea smiles and I try to mimic it but fail.

We're early and there's a large crowd hanging out in front of the doors on the steps. Its mostly King High kids I guess we all chose the same testing location. Chelsea and I find a spot and decide to sit. The obnoxiously loud music drew everyone's attention to the sports car that was parking. It was black on black and expensive looking. I looked to Chelsea to confirm my suspicion.

"Lets go say hi." Chelsea eagerly pulled me onto my feet and started down the stairs.

"Wait." I stopped her.

We watched a shorter brunette get out of the passenger side and head up the steps. When she was about halfway, Ashley ran after her. It looked like the two were arguing but Chelsea and I weren't close enough to hear what was being said. I recognized the shorter brunette as Kyla Davies, I'd seen her around school. Kyla waived off whatever Ashley was trying to tell her and joined a group of students at the top of the steps. Ashley retreated to her car but stopped before getting in. Her shoulders slouched in a defeated position.

Chelsea and I walked down the steps and the closer I got to Ashley the more I wondered what I should say. Sure, she gave me a ride home last night but we're still very much strangers to each other.

"Hey, Ashley." I said in a low voice not wanting to startle her.

She turned to face me and lifted her sunglasses, "Spencer." She looked surprised to me.

"Is everything ok? That argument looked pretty bad."

"Just a sisterly disagreement." Ashley faked a smile and let her sunglasses fall back on her face.

"You want to talk about it?" I repeat her words from last night, and I know I'm more then willing to listen to her.

"Maybe some other time." She starts to walk to her car.

"Maybe tonight!" Chelsea calls out. "Spencer and I are going to a club re-opening. Its in west Hollywood. I think the club is called Gray." The words take a while to register and I side glare at Chelsea. I never agreed to go to any clubs.

"Oh really?" Ashley looks surprised. I guess she doesn't take me for the clubbing type.

"Yeah." I bite my tongue and nod along with my answer.

"Then I guess I'll see you tonight." She's staring at me and biting the corner of her lip. The gesture doesn't go unnoticed by Chelsea who is squealing with excitement, she loves playing matchmaker.

I can't find my words so I just continue to nod as Ashley gets into her car. I notice a lot of students starting to line up and see that they've opened the doors. Time to take my SATs.

**Sorry if you guys thought this was an update! I just went through and fixed a few errors I noticed. Thanks for the reviews and favorites it means a lot, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Chapter 3 is finished and should be uploaded tonight or maybe tomorrow, just depends. I know a lot of you don't like Carmen and Kyla right now, I don't like them much either lol. Spashley always comes through in the end though so stick with it. & if you haven't read this chapter yet, Enjoy! **


	3. Always Come Prepared

_B, D, E, C, C, A. _I bubble in my answer key. I can't believe Chelsea did that, she knows I hate parties. House party, club party, same difference, I don't even go to school functions unless I absolutely have too. What was she thinking? She knew I wouldn't say no in front of Ashley. Now I'm stuck. No wait… Maybe I'm not stuck. My mother will never agree to let me go to a wild club opening in West Hollywood. Nope, she won't entertain the thought of it, I think to myself while finish the first section of the test.

I've always been curious about girls. Ashley takes that curiosity to a whole new level, she's charming and she has depth. I can tell there is more to her than a smooth demeanor and great coffee. Then there's the obvious fact that she's gorgeous. The brunette's hair falls past her shoulders in curls, and her auburn bang gives her hair an edgy look that matches her personality. I feel like she can see right through me with her chocolate brown eyes, at first I found it intimidating but that feeling went away quickly. She was my listening ear last night and she never once judged.

The next few sections of the test seemed to fly by and I answered each question with ease. "Pencils down. This will be your last 15-minute break. Once again you may eat a snack or use the restroom. No use of any electronics, and no discussion of the test." The test administrator announces from the front of the room. I decide to take a walk to the bathroom.

Pushing open the swing doors to see a lot of people had the same idea. After sitting in the same chair for five hours, a walk sounds great, even if it's just to the bathroom.

"Spencer." I hear someone call out and I turn to the voice. A tall blonde girl waives me over to the side. I've seen her at some student government meetings before, and she has a real mean girl vibe to her.

"Uh, Hey… Kaitlin" I say awkwardly trying to remember her name. I follow her off to the side.

"We only have a few minutes so I'll skip the pleasantries." Her directness throws me off a bit but I'm interested so I nod for her to continue. "I saw you talking to Ashley Davies outside. You probably don't know but she's bad news… real bad."

"Bad news?" My brows furrow. This all starting to feel very gossip girl and I don't like it.

"She's a drop out, real trashy. Her and that drug dealing girlfriend of hers are no good." The words come so casually to her you would think she knew this stuff for sure.

"Why are you telling me this?" My mind is still processing the new information, true or untrue.

"I'm trying to look out for you, Spencer. As a friend I am telling you that Ashley Davies and her crew are always in some kind of mess and I don't want to see you get mixed up in that." Her voice takes on a false sincerity. Even if she is telling me the truth, she's not telling me because she's looking out for me. She has some other agenda, I'm sure of it.

I feel a surge of protectiveness and the need to defend Ashley because she's not here to defend herself.

"That's the thing, we're not friends. So you can keep whatever opinions you have on Ashley to yourself. I don't want to hear them."

It's fallen quiet in the bathroom and we've gained an audience.

"Davies is toxic."

"Is that what you're calling it now? Toxic?" Another voice joins in. I turn slightly to see Kyla at my side.

"Kyla, you're not like your sister." Kaitlin huffs.

"You mean I'm straight." Kyla sheds a light on the situation. That's what this about? Ashley being a lesbian.

"No, I mean you're not a doped up dyke who will have sex with anything walking." Kaitlin's raises her voice and anyone with eyes can see this conversation is striking a cord with her, a personal one.

"Breaks over." I say taking a quick glance at my watch. This bathroom is starting to feel really small and I think I've heard enough from Kaitlin to last a lifetime.

The crowed in the bathroom starts to disperse and I walk back to my testing room. Kyla's a few paces behind me and I stop so she can catch up.

"Thanks." She says quietly.

"For what?"

"Sticking up for Ashley." Maybe the argument earlier was just a sisterly disagreement like Ashley said, but I doubt it.

"No problem. Kaitlin was in the wrong." I push open the door and let myself into the classroom. Students are already back to working so I know I'm a few minutes behind.

I find my desk, pick up where I left off and start working. With Ashley dominating most of my thoughts I try my best to stay focus on this last section of the test. Kaitlin's homophobia reminds me of my mother, I'm sure Paula wouldn't go as far as to spread vicious gossip but she does talk about being gay as if its some kind of disease. Like the rest of the test I answer the question with little difficulty and sit back, waiting for the test administrator to dismiss us.

"Ok, all the answer keys have been collected and test booklets returned to the front desk. You are all free to go. If you wish for whatever reason to cancel your scores you can do that at the desk downstairs. Enjoy your weekend."

I wait for Chelsea near the exit of the testing center and as soon as she comes I catch her up on the whole bathroom incident with Kaitlin.

"Toxic? She really said that?" Chelsea asks as we make our way outside and down the concrete steps. "Are you going to ask Ashley about any of it?"

"I don't think so… I'm curious but I just met her, I don't want to pry." Out of the corner of my eye I catch sight of a blonde haired guy running up to me. Glen.

"Spencer!" He scoops me up into a hug and lifts me off the ground. "How you been lil' sis?"

I slap him on the back, "Glen put me down!" Glen plays basketball at UCLA, it was part of his scholarship that he live on campus. "Not that I'm not excited to see you, but what are you doing here?'

"I have a few weeks off so I'm staying at home. Mom told me you had your SATs today so I thought I'd come pick you up."

"Where's your car?" Chelsea asks, and Glen walks us into the parking lot where he parked.

"We're waiting on one more. Oh, and Spencer, could you maybe… sit in the back." Glen says and I give him a strange look.

"Glen's got a girlfriend." Chelsea sings teasingly. Of course Glen is here for a girl, I should have known.

"Who is she?" I ask, climbing into the backseat.

"Glen!" My question is answered when the passenger door opens and I see Kaitlin wrap her arms around Glen. The bottom falls out of my stomach when she turns around and gives Chelsea and I the fakest of smiles. "Hey, Spencer…Hey Chels"

This isn't real. Life isn't this screwed up. I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. I'm not, she's still here, in the car, grinning at me and Chelsea like we're all the best of friends.

"Sweet! You all know each other." Glen smiles and I don't want to rain on his parade by telling him his new girlfriend is a homophobic bitch. So I keep my mouth shut and force a smile, nudging Chelsea so she'll do the same.

With all the Kaitlin drama I completely forget I'm still upset with Chelsea for forcing me into going to that club re-opening tonight.

"You know I'm not going right?" I whisper to her, not that it's necessary because Glen and Kaitlin aren't paying any attention to us.

"Spencer, you never go out. Yes, it was sneaky of me to tell Ashley you were already going when I hadn't even asked you about it, but I really want you to have some fun tonight. You deserve it." Chelsea explains and it's hard to be mad at her. What she did was wrong but her intentions were good.

"What's up back there?" Glen asks referring to our whispering in the backseat.

"Nothing, I'm trying to convince your sister here to go Gray's re-opening tonight."

"That's the club in West Hollywood right? Ooh, I want to go." Kaitlin places her hand on Glen's knee and he blushes at the contact.

"Sure, baby. We can go." Ugh, He's such a sucker.

"Great! See, Spencer, if Glen and I are going I'm sure I can convince Clay to go and you'll be the only one at home on a Saturday night." Chelsea points out.

"My mom is never going to agree to this." I say knowingly. For once I'm kind of thankfully for my mothers over protective nature.

"I'm sure I can convince her." Glen shrugs like it's no a big deal.

"And if he doesn't, you can stay home and have a great talk with your mom about Patrick and prom… oh and church. Your mom loves talking about church." Chelsea adds and I mentally kick myself.

There's no way they're leaving me in the house with my mother for the night. Besides, Ashley did say she was going to come tonight and if she does show up, I'd like to be there.

…

Just like he said, Glen was able to convince my mother to let me go out tonight. She couldn't justify not letting me go since Clay and Glen were both going to be there. The closer it got to 10pm the worse my nerves became. I protested but Kaitlin ended up doing my make up, and as much I hate to admit it, she did a great job. I also hate to admit that other than her blatant homophobia her personality was bearable. I had decided to ignore everything she said about Ashley, assuming that none of it was true. Until I knew more about the situation I couldn't shun the girl, she is Glen's girlfriend after all. Anyways, back to my make up. Kaitlin did a neutral colored smoky eye that really made my blue eyes pop. She also did a nude lip with some gloss for shine and the blush on my face was very light.

I decided to curl my hair, which turned out to be a good idea because the dress Chelsea put me in was strapless and my hair was able to cover a lot of the exposed skin so I didn't look like I was trying too hard. The dress was navy blue, and it hugged the right places with beautiful detailing on the front. We all thought it was best if I kept it simple and wore black heels.

"How do I look?" I do a spin in front of my full-length mirror, I've been staring at myself for a while and I still can't believe it's me.

"You look amazing." "Gorgeous!" Chelsea and Kaitlin compliment.

"You sure? Its not too much?"

"It can never be too much." Kaitlin says before dipping out of the room, probably to find Glen.

"I'm nervous." I admit, and before Chelsea can start her pep talk I continue, "My first date with Patrick I wore jeans and a t-shirt, I couldn't care less, and now I'm all dressed up to a see a girl I barely know. Chelsea, my stomach is doing backflips."

"You and Ashley have chemistry, whether it means you'll be great friends or something more no one can answer that right now so just enjoy your time with her tonight." Chelsea takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

We grab our clutches off of my bed and meet everyone downstairs. Kaitlin and Glen are already outside and my mother is talking to Clay about what time we should be home. "Don't take drinks from strangers, or put your cup down anywhere. Stick together." She calls from the door as we pile into Glen's car. No turning back now.

**A.N: So here is chapter 3, what do you think? I know a lot of you aren't going to like Kaitlin. The next chapter is set at the club opening and will be up fairly soon. Hope you're all enjoying the story. Feel free to review with your likes/dislikes and predictions. Feedback is always welcome.**


	4. Gray

After exchanging a few words with the bouncer, he let Madison, Aiden and I in the club without a problem. The manager, Tony, was also nice enough to introduce himself.

"If you need anything tonight, anything at all, Ms. Davies. Don't hesitate to ask." Tony said before making sure we all had our VIP bracelets.

It's just the three of us tonight, Tommy had to work and Carmen decided to stay home. It was unusual for her to turn down a party but I didn't fight her on it. After two years of strong relationship things were starting to feel different between us. The club was dark other than a few strobe lights and the DJ was doing a pretty good job of keeping people dancing.

"I'll catch up with you guys." I separate myself from Aiden and Madison. I want to get a drink in my system and I should be able to see the whole club from the bar. I'll be able to see if Spencer is here yet.

On my way to the bar I ignore most of the girls and guys who try to dance with me on the way there. Every time I see a blonde head of hair my heartbeat quickens but I'm disappointed when they didn't have ocean blue eyes and a contagious smile.

"A vodka and redbull please." I order and watch the bartender mix my drink. Madison tells me all the time I'd make a great bartender but I don't think being around this much alcohol would be good for me. "Oh and a shot of tequila too." That'll take the edge off. Aiden is driving tonight so I can drink as much as I want.

She slides my drinks to me and I take them putting the money I owe her plus a tip on the counter. I turn on the barstool and scan the crowed. I don't see Spencer. Maybe she changed her mind about tonight. I down the tequila quickly and take a few sips of my drink. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't show up. Spencer's a good girl. I wouldn't know the first thing to do with a good girl. Carmen is wild, uninhibited, and I love that about her. I feel a sudden twinge of guilt and finish my drink in one swallow while motioning for the bartender to make me another, she does and Its gone just as quickly as the first.

"Keep drinking like that and I'll have to carry you out of here." Her voice is warm and brings a smile to my face. I turn to face her. _There is… We should … I_… My mind gives up on thinking of witty remarks to respond with as I take in the sight in front of me.

"You look fantastic, Spencer." Words don't do her justice but I try anyways.

Spencer flutters her lashes and crosses her arms in front of her shyly as if she doesn't believe me.

"I'm serious. You're arguably the hottest girl in this club tonight." Not that I'm looking at anyone else anyways. I pull out the barstool next to me for her to sit.

"Ok, What are you drinking? And how many have you had?" She laughs and her cheeks turn pink. Her eyes catch mine and she can tell I'm being sincere. "Thank you." She smiles.

"Your welcome, and I was just about to have another. You want anything?" I call over the bartender. I'm sure Spencer doesn't drink but I figured I would offer anyways.

"No, no. I don't drink." She turns it down, but as the bartender starts working on my order she surprises me. "But tonight I might make an exception." She tilts her head slightly. It's really adorable when she does that.

I order her a midori and when the green drink is ready Spencer looks at it with skepticism. "Try it. You'll like it." I push the drink closer to her. I ordered it because it's a girly drink and not too strong.

Spencer pulls the drink up to her lips and instead of drinking it she inhales deeply. I let out a laugh at her actions. She's making this into a life decision. I quickly stop so she doesn't think I'm trying to tease her and after a few more seconds of deliberation she takes a sip from the glass. A sense of déjà vu washes over and I feel the same anticipation I did when Spencer first tried my coffee, maybe I should have just gotten her a soda or something. When her face doesn't scrunch up at the taste and a small smile plays on her lips I'm able to relax.

"Its good… sweet… I like it." She drinks some more.

"So, how was your test today?" I ask remembering this morning was pretty important to her.

"I think I did well, I just have to wait for my scores now." She's playing with the cherry in her drink and I get the impression she doesn't want to talk about her SATs. "You said you would tell me about your argument with your sister."

"No, I said I might want to talk about it some other time."

"Well she seems nice to me. Whatever you two are going through I'm sure you'll get through it. Family always does." Spencer turns to face me.

"I don't know. I've really messed up in the past and even if she can't forgive me I wish she knew how sorry I am."

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it." She smiles. Oh, she got me to talk about it, no fair. That's sneaky.

"You tricked me." I laugh and take a sip of my drink.

"Seriously, Ashley. Kyla will forgive its just a mater of when." Her words resonate and for once in a long time I feel hopefully that Kyla really will come around one day. "Another midori, please." Spencer gets the bartenders attention.

We sat and enjoyed each other's company for a while, talking about basic things. I learned Spencer's favorite color is mint green, her favorite ice cream is French Vanilla and she can't get through Charlotte's Web without crying. I watched her idly knot the cherry stems from her drink and occasionally our thighs would brush and she'd blush. Spencer's quirks and playful cheekiness drew me in. I can't imagine anything I wouldn't like about her.

"Dance with me." I stood up and held out my hand for her to take. I was expecting her to say she couldn't dance or didn't want to but she took my hand willingly and led me out onto the dance floor.

There was little distance between us. I watch her take in her surrounding's, almost like she's looking for someone. Spencer's stiff at first but I dance behind her and she loosens up, following my movements. I put my hands on her waist and any shyness she has left fades. The music consumes her and she dances freely, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. We danced to a few more songs before Spencer turned to face me throwing her arms around my neck.

"You're really beautiful, Ashley." Her lips hover over my ear and I pull her closer to me dropping my head into the crook of her neck.

"Ashley, I've been looking all over this club for…. oh." Reluctantly I turn my head toward Madison's voice. Her eyes asking a million questions that I can't answer, at least not right now.

Spencer slips out of my arms and gives Madison and I some space.

"So, she's why you were so eager to leave Carmen home tonight?" Madison not so subtly points to Spencer.

"I wasn't eager, I just didn't try very hard to change her mind." I shrug.

"Right… anyways, you might want to consider taking this somewhere else. If Carmen found out you were here nuzzling up to some other girl, she'd have your head… and by association she'd have mine too." Madison says in a low voice. "What is _this_ anyways? You look like you're really into her."

"I am. I can't explain it but I'm drawn to her." I glance over to see Aiden has come over and is chatting up Spencer, she catches me looking at her and I smile.

"She's hot." Madison says following my gaze. "Really hot." I swat her playfully in the arm.

"She is right." I agree and we laugh like two teenage boys.

"You should take her up to the balcony. It's perfect, she'll love it." Madison says nonchalantly moving her head to the music.

"What balcony?"

"That's what I was coming over here to tell you. Tony snagged one of the VIP balcony's for us." Madison points to an empty balcony overlooking the club.

"Sweet." I pull Madison back over to Aiden and Spencer and we join in their conversation.

"I'm Madison Duarte, Aiden's girlfriend. Sorry I interrupted your dance with Ashley." She extends a hand and Spencer shakes it.

"No worries, the night is still young. I'm Spencer Carlin. We go to the same school actually."

"You go to King High, I knew you looked familiar." Madison says with realization. "Well, See around Spencer. Aiden and I still have a lot of dancing to do." She grabs Aiden's hand and starts dancing off into the crowd.

"See you around." Spencer replies.

"C'mon, we're going upstairs." She doesn't question me just grabs my hand and follows me through the club.

A lot more people have come in and the party is in full swing now. Spencer stayed close to me as I maneuvered through the club and up the winding staircase that would take us up to the balcony.

"Isn't this section VIP only?" She asks when we reach the top.

"It is." I smile.

The space is small and intimate with very dim lighting. You can see the entire club from over the railing. There's a small couch and a table with the usual ice bucket and champagne. Madison was right, its perfect… for couples. Spencer and I aren't a couple. I don't want to scare her off. Leaning over the balcony rail I absent-mindedly run my hand through my hair. I'm overthinking this.

"Hey, you're too far." Her voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Better?" I join her on the couch.

"It's a start." Her dancing eyes are locked onto me.

"How's this?" I close the distance between her and swing her legs over mine, snaking my arm around her waist. "Any closer and you'll be sitting in my lap."

"Would that be so bad?" She laughs covering her face so I can't see her blushing a deep red. "I swear I'm not usually this flirty. Its your fault… you bring something out of me."

"Oh no, don't blame this on me." My voice feigning innocence. Spencer throws her head back in laughter and I watch her with a nose-crinkling smile. "You're trouble, Spencer Carlin." I rest my forehead against hers.

Her eyes drift from mine and land on my lips. I know she's thinking about whether to make her move or not. It takes a great deal of self-control but I pull away before her lips brush mine. As much I want to kiss Spencer right now, I'd rather her be sober for it.

A random guy stumbles onto the balcony closely followed by security and I don't get a chance to gage Spencer's expression after our almost kiss. "We're sorry to interrupt, Miss Davies. He slipped right past us." They explain. Spencer launches off the couch and rushes to his side.

"Clay, What are you doing? Did something happen?" Spencer looks worried.

"I came to get you because we're leaving, Glen and the rest are waiting in the lot." Security hems Clay to the wall and he sounds of breath. "Dammit, I'm her brother. Let me go." He yells at the two burly guards.

Everyone's looking to me now and I drop my head. The swirl pattern on the carpet is suddenly interesting. I'm tempted to let security haul Clay's ass off for ruining my time with Spencer.

"Ashley." Spencer says with a crooked smile that tells me she knows what I'm thinking.

"Let him go." I sigh.

The two buff security guards drop Clay instantly and he wastes no time in grabbing Spencer and leading her off the balcony. Moving over to the railing I can see the two push their way through the crowded dance floor and toward the exit. They're bickering about something and I can see Spencer rolling her eyes.

"Ooh, Champagne." Madison comes in. "Tony really pulled out all the stops tonight."

"Yeah he did, we definitely have to thank him. Tonight was great."

Madison pops the bottle of champagne drinks some and then hands it off to me. I drink some and we plop down on the couch swapping stories about our night. Aiden and Madison got together around the same time Carmen and I did. They have one of the best relationships I've ever seen.

"Why are you two hiding up here? It's only 1 o'clock, Let's party." Aiden fist pumps to the music. Madison and I laugh at her boyfriend's silliness and make our way back to the dance floor.

**Hope you enjoyed Chapter 4. Spashley seemed to be having a really good time before Clay's interruption. Stay tuned; I will have Chapter 5 posted when I can. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Re-uploaded for technical reasons, Sorry ! some people were unable to see the new chapter. I was one of them. The story would not go past chapter 3. Sorry again if you thought this was an update. **


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